Mulsh and method of making the same



(3. F. ECKART.

MULSH AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2,1919.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

CHARLES E. ECKABT, OF OLAA, TERRITORY OF HAWAII. J

V HUI-SH AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

To all whom it may concern: I

' Be itknown that I, CHARLES F. EoKAR'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olaa, Territory of Hawaii, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mulsh and Methods of Making the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to Specification 01 Letters Patent.

be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. v

This invention relates to a mulsh and to the method of making the same.

.It has been proposed to facilitate and enhance the growth of plants by applying a mulsh to the ground before the plant seeds I 'or stock are set in the ground, and after. a period suflicient. to insure the germination of theweed seeds and the extermination of the Weeds has elapsed, to produce planting openings in the mulsh by incising the mulsh to form flaps which are subsequently bent to various degrees with relation to the body of the mulsh to regulate the conditions affecting the soil and the plant which is made to 0w therein. a

' he mulsh of the present invention is so constructed that after the planting openings have been formed, the size of .the openings will be automatically regulated and the soil Patented Nov. s, 1921.

Application filed December 2, 1919. Serial No. 341,971.

the flaps in raised positions, due to the application of moisture to the under. surface of the mulsh;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; r

Fig. 4 is a fragmental view of a modificatlOIl' 1' H x Fig. 5 is a fragmental view showing a second'modification.

The method of forming the mulsh consists in subjecting a piece of fibrous material,

preferably paper, to the action of a waterproofing material, which may beasphalt, tar, creosote, oil, or a, mixture of any two or more of these substances, or any other suitable water-proofing material. The fibrous material which may be in any convenient form,

but which I have illustrated and later de- Sgribed, as in the form of a strip, is impregnated with the water-proofin material to a point of undersatura'tion. f the strip of material were completely saturated with the water-proofing substance, it would, of course, be impervious to moist e, but by incompletely saturating the strigg the fibers thereof will be free to take up a certain amount of moisture, and yet the strip will be water-proof to the extent that it will prewithin the planting areas maintained in the proper condition to facilitate the growth of the plants. This automatic regulation of the-size of the planting openings is caused,

extension of the fibers of the mulsh on the upper. and lower faces thereof, which extension is 0 used by the application of moisture. The regulation of the sizes of the mulsh,

F ig. "2 is'a fragmental-plan view showing broadl by a difference in the degree of anting openings, will, in addition to main-- ining the soil in the proper condatromfexeen exterminated as described in my substantially in the plane of the body of the g 50 vent the ree passage of water therethrough.

The difference in the bursting stren h, as

measured by such devices as the Mn len or Ashcroft paper testers, of the impregnated material when 'dr and thesame impregnated material a ter immersion in water, will indicate the moisture absorbing qualities.

. After the strip has been suitably impregnated with Water-proofing material, itis placed upon the grpund in surface contact therewith over the locations where the plant seeds or stock are to be subsequently. set.

This mulsh is permitted to remam in place on the ground untilthe weed seeds have erminated and theresulting weeds have cogending application Serial No. 325,721, filed eptember 23, 1919. When a suflicient period has elapsed 'to insure the extermination of all of the weeds, the planting openings are formed by the incising of the strip to produce flaps. For instance, Fig-,1, the

incisions ab and c-d are made. These incisions extend substantially at right angles to each other and produce flaps a, b, c

; and d which are bendable along the basal lines indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing in a manner which will later appear. 'As in the above referred to application, .the plant seeds or the plant stock are set in the resulting plantingopenings,

1 and the plants permitted to force their'way between the flaps and particularly at the point where the. apices of the flaps meet.

During dry periods the soil beneath the- I mulsh Wlll contain more moisture than the shownin Fig. 3, the general curvature extending from the basal lines of theflaps to air and consequently the lower surface of the mulsh will be comparatively moist while the upper surface thereof will'be dry. The moistenin of the fibers of the lower surfaces of t e flaps a, b, c and d will cause an extension and an expansion of these fibers and consequently will cause a lengthening of the under sides of the flaps and the raising of the same substantially into the position the apices thereof.

During a ra ny period the fibers on or Thus the over saturation of the soil by therain waters will be prevented as the water will be largely excluded from the plantlng openings. Of course, a certain amount of water passes through the incisions, but this is beneficial rather than detrimental, as it supplies the soil with suflicient moisture to insure the proper growing ofthe plants.

Then again, the lowering of the flaps closes the planting openings so that the weed seeds which have blown and have been deposited on the mulshes, and which are washed about by the rainwater, are excluded from the planting openings. It will be realized that after the plants have madetheir appearance, the flaps cannot return to their initial'position, but the ends thereof will be up-turned by contact with the stems of the plants. Thus, it will be seen that during. a dry period the flaps will rise and will expose the soil of the planting areas to the action of the excluded.

air and sun, so that the soil will be properly aerated, but during the rainy period the flaps Wlll be lowered and the excess moisture In Figsu l and "5' of the drawing, I have illustrated different manners in which the process may be carried out, in that various flaps are produced. These flaps may either be increased or decreased at the will of the operator, and while I have described the production of the flaps after the mulsh has been placed on the ground, at which time the incisions should be made when the mush is dry, it is to be understood that-the incisions may be made before the application of the mulsh tothe ground, if this is found desirable. I

The mulsh resulting from the process above described, consists of a strip or sheet of fibrous material, such as paper, which is under-saturated with a water-proofing substance so that the fibers of the paper will be affected by moisture to cause their 'expan-' sion and extension. The mulsh comprises flaps which produce planting openings and which are adapted to rise and to be lowered by the expansion and extension of the fibers, due to the application of moistur What I claim is: .1. The method of making a,mulsh which consists in incompletely saturating a piece of fibrous material with a water-proofing substance and incising thesame to form flaps.

2. The method of making a mulsh which consists in incompletely saturating a piece of fibrous material with a water-proofing sub- 9 5 stance, and incising the same to form substantially triangular flapsa 3. The method of making a mulsh which consists of incompletely saturating apiece of fibrous material with a waterproofing-1 00 substance and in forming at least one flap therein which is'adapted torise to produce 7 an opening. v

4. The method of making a mulsh which consists in incompletely saturating a piece of fibrous material with awater-proofing substance and in forming opposed flaps therein which-are adapted-to rise to produce an opening.

5. The method of anage, man which consists in incom letely sat ting a piece of fibrous materi zil with amter-proofing substance and in producing intersectlng slitsv therein wherebv substantially triangular flaps are-formed.

6. A- mulsh consisting of a piece of fibrous material incompletely saturated with a waterproofing substance and havi fla s therein adaptedt'o rise to produce a p antin'g' opening. 7 7. A mulsh consisting of'a strip of paperincompletely saturated with a water-proofing substance and having at. least one flap therein to roduce a planting opening.

8. A mu sh consisting of a strip of paper incompletely saturated with a water-proofing substance and having opposed triangular flaps therein to produce a planting opening.

9. A mulsh with auto-regulating openfor controlling the areas of said opening as ings. related to the plane of the mulsh. 10

10. A mulsh having a varying opening In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, therein which is controlled by at least one in presence of two Witnesses.

5 auto-regulatory flap. CHARLES F. ECKART.

11. A mulsh with an opening therein and I Witnesses: with at least one auto-regulatory flap at- ALLAN M; BOYLE, tached to the body of the mulsh as means T. W. CALDER. 

